The Brazil No.10 limped off the pitch in Brazil’s opening World Cup match against Serbia.
Neymar will reportedly miss Brazil’s remaining games in the World Cup’s group stage.
The Brazil star suffered an ankle injury in the Selecao’s 2-0 win over Serbia on Thursday.
Neymar’s facial expression when he watched the rest of the game on the bench suggested his injury might be serious. Later on, a photo emerged on social media of Neymar’s swollen ankle, further confirming the theory.
The Paris Saint-Germain star underwent tests on Friday, which are reportedly more positive than expected.
According to Diario Sport, Neymar is not in danger of missing the rest of the tournament. However, Brazil have decided to rest him until the last 16 round as he goes through his recovery process.
Brazil manager Tite was positive about Neymar’s chances of returning to action in the World Cup.
“We are confident that he will continue playing, that he will continue playing in the World Cup,” the Brazilian coach said after the Serbia game.
Neymar’s absence will be a major blow to Brazil’s attacking line. But, as we saw in Tite’s substitutions against Serbia, the Selecao have a host of top-class forwards in their squad.
Tite has the option to replace Neymar directly with Everton’s Riberio. He can also ask one of his favourite players, Lucas Paqueta, to play as an attacking midfielder.
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